Snap switch



Nov. 24, 1925- 1,562,601

W. C. TREGONING SNAP SWITCH Filed July l9. 1919 33 i6 22 20 w W IN V EN TOR.

mwwmw ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 24, 1925.

UNHTED STATES 1,562,601 rarest OFFICE.

WILLIAM C. TREGONING, 0F CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIG-NOR TO THE CUTLERI'IAM MEIR, MFG. (30., 0F MILVTAUKEE, W'IQC' IEISIN, A C'QRIPORATTON OF WISCONSIN SNAP SWITCH.

Application filed July 19, 1919.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM C. TREGO- NING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Guyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Snap Switches, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification.

This invention relates to electric snap switches.

While not limited thereto, the invention is particularly applicable to switches for lamp sockets and has among its objects the provision of a simple, compact and durable snap switch controllable by a rotary member.

Another object is to provide a snap switch wherein all movable parts, together with the actuating spring, are mounted upon the key shaft and capable of ready assembly there- Another object is to provide a snap switch of the aforesaid character wherein the movable contact or contacts have a wiping action with respect to the stationary contact or contacts.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear.

The accompanying drawing illustrates one embodiment of the invention and the same will now be described, it being understood that the invention may be embodied in other forms falling within the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawing,

Figure 1 is a plan view of the switch.

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the movable parts of the switch;

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are detail perspective views of the movable switch parts; and,

Figs. 6, 7, 8 and 9 are views showing the switch parts in different positions.

The switch illustrated is particularly designed for lamp sockets and is shown as mounted upon one section of an insulating base 1 suitable for lamp sockets. The switch comprises stationary contacts 2 and 3 fixed in a parallel relation in recesses in the base 1 and a bridging contactor 4 having contact extensions 5 for engagement with contacts 2 and 3.

The stationary contacts 2 and 3 comprise Serial No. 312,002.

leaf springs arranged to receive the contactor therebetween and each of said springs length and are so mounted as to provide extensive yielding contact portions.

The contactor 4, as best illustrated in Fig. 5, comprises a stamping bent on a transverse line 'Z-7 to provide oppositely inclined cam surfaces and said contactor is slidingly mounted on a member 8, best shown in Fig. 4. The member 8 comprises a stamping having perpendicularly disposed end portions 9 and 10 and longitudinally extending slots 11 and 12 to respectively receive lugs 13 and 14 provided on the contactor. The member 8 is also provided centrally with a bearing 15 for mounting thereof on a key shaft 16 and the contactor is slotted to clear said shaft.

The member 8 is slidable axially of the shaft 16 which, as shown in Fig. 1, extends diametrically across the base 1 being sup ported in bearings 17 and 18 provided on said base. One end of the member 8 is projected into a slot in the base 1 to prevent said member from turning on shaft 16 and to hold the contactor in proper alignment with the stationary contacts, said contactor being slidable on the member 8 to engage and disengage said stationary contacts and also being movable with the member 8 axially of the shaft to wipe over said stationary contacts.

The shaft 16, which has an operating key 19, carries a helical spring-2O interposed between the member 8 and a collar 21 fixed to said shaft to force said member 8 and the contactor 41 to the left. Further, the shaft has fixed thereto in an eccentric relation therewith, a disk 22 against which the contactor is pressed by the spring 20, said disk being inclined on said shaft to normally lie against one of the inclined surfaces of the contactor.

As shown in Fig. 3, the shaft 16 is grooved while the disk 22 is: slotted whereby the latter may be readily secured to the former after the other elements have been assembled on said shaft. In this connection it is to be noted that disk 22 serves to secure the remaining elements on the shaft and that said disk is in turn held against dis placement from the shaft by the pressure of the contactor thereagainst.

The structure is such that rotation of the shaft 16 by the key 19 reciprocates the contactor both axially and transversely of the shaft, as depicted in Figs. 6 to 9, to engage and disengage the stationary contacts. Fig. 6 shows the parts in the relation occupied thereby when the contactor engages the stationary contacts and as exemplified in Fig. 7, rotation of the shaft causes the disk 22 to coact with the upper inclined surface of the cont-actor to force'said contactor and the member 8 to the right on shaft 16 thereby compressing spring 20. And this action continues until the disk 22 is moved into a parallel relation with the oppositely inclined surface of the contactor, as shown in Fig. 8, whereupon the energy stored in the spring forces the member '8 and the contactor to the left thus causing the cont actor to ride up the incline afforded by the dish for disengagement thereof from the stationary contacts. Also, rotation of the shaft provides for reverse operation of the con tactor in a similar manner for re-engagement thereof with the stationary contacts.

When the shaft 16 is operated for movement of the contactor in either direction the latter is positively held by the disk against movement until the parts assume a relation allowing a quick movement of the c'ontactor and until sufficient energy is stored in the spring to effect such movement. Also thearrangement is such that when the contactor is ineither extreme position the shaft 16 may be turnedreither clockwise or counterclockwise to effect movement of said contactor to its other extreme position.

' It is to beunderstood that in practice. the switch may be mounted in any preferred manner and that when mounted as shown in 1 a complementary base member would be provided to afford complete enclosure thereof and to retain the shaft 16 in its bearings.

hat I- claimas new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an electric switch, incombination, a reciprocably mounted contact member having spaced bearings, a rotatable member having its axis substantially perpendicular to the plane of reciprocation of said contact member, said contact member having converging faces located between its bearing points and obliquely disposed to the axis of said rotatable member and said rotatable member having a co-operating face disposed at a like angle to its axis and resilient means holding saidmembers in engagement whereby said contact member is movable inreverse directions with a snap action upon unidiree tional rotation of said rotatablemember.

2. In an electric switch, in combination a reciprocably mounted contact member having spaced bearings, a rotatable member hav ing its axis substantially perpendicular to the plane of reciprocation of said contact member, said contact member having converging faces obliquely disposed to the axis of said rotatable member and said rotatable member having a co-opcrating face disposed at a like angle to its axis to engage said contact member at points between its bearings and resilient means holding said members in engagement whereby said contact member is movable in reverse directions with a snap action. upon rotation of said rotatable member, either unidirectionally or in reverse directions.

8. In an electric switch, in combination, a reciprocable contact member having spaced hearings and oppositely inclined faces lying between said bearings, a rotatable member havinn its axis perpendicular to the plane of reciprocation of said contact member and having a face obliquely disposed to its axis for engagement with the inclined faces of said contact member alternately, an operating element for said rotatable member and a spring associated with said engaging members to effect reverse movements of said contact member with a snap action upon given movements of operating element and free from restraint by the latter.

4. In an electric switch, in combination, a rotatable member having a face obliquely disposed to its axis, a reciprocating contact member having oppositely inclined faces to be alternately engaged by the face of said rotatable member, means supporting said contact member for reciprocation in a plane perpendicular to the axis of said rotatable member and also for movement of said contact member axially of said rotatable member and a spring yieldingly holding said contact member against said rotatable memher for effecting reverse movement of the former with a snapaction upon rotation of said'rotatable member.

5. In an electric switch, in combination, stationary and movable contacts, a rotatable member, and spring biased means movable axially thereon for guiding said movable contact, said guiding means permitting reciprocation of said contact at right angles to the axis of said rotatable member, and an eccentric cam carried by and movable with said rotatable member engaging said movable contact to effect reciprocation thereof with a snap action while alternately effecting. and permitting axial movement of said guiding means.

6. In an electric switch, the combination with a stationary contact, of a rotatable shaft, a cam fixed to said shaft, a guide member movable on said shaft and spring biased toward said cam, ant. a movablc'contact interposed between said cam and said guide arranged to move axially of said shaft against the action of said spring upon rotation of said cam, said cam in given angularpositions being adapted to coact with said contact to provide for movement of the latter obliquely of said shaft under the action of said spring.

7 In an electric switch, the combination with cooperating stationary and movable contacts, of a rotatable shaft having a cam surface oblique with respect to the axis there of, a guide member slidable on said shaft and having arms perpendicular to the axis thereof, a spring biasing said member toward said cam surface, said movable contact being interposed between and supported by said cam and said guide to provide for sequential movement of said contact in a plurality of directions at an angle to each other upon rotation of said shaft, certain of said movements being effected with a snap action by said spring to engage or disengage said contacts.

8. In an electric switch, the combination with a fixed contact, of a rotatable shaft, spaced members fixed to said shaft, and members including a reciprocable contact member and a spring interposed between said fixed members said members providing for engagement and disengagement of said contacts with a snap action upon rotation of said shaft.

9. In an electric switch, the combination with relatively movable contacts, of a rotatable shaft and means for supporting certain of said contacts for axial and lateral movements with respect to said shaft, and means for efiecting such movements upon rotation of said shaft.

10. In an electric switch, the combination with relatively movable contacts, of a rotatable member carrying a guide, said guide supporting certain of said contacts for axial and lateral reciprocating movements with respect to said member, and means for effecting certain of said movements with a snap action upon rotation of said member.

11. In an electric switch, the combination with cooperating contacts including a con tact member to be reciprocated, of a rotatable member having its axis perpendicular to the plane of reciprocation of said contact member and having elements mounted thereon for reciprocably supporting said contact member and for effecting movement thereof in either direction with a snap action, said elements also affording and effecting move ment of said contact member axially of said rotatable member.

12. In an electric switch, the combination with cooperating contacts including a con tact member to be reciprocated, a rotatable shaft, a member mounted on said shaft to reciprocably support said contact member, a member mounted on and rotatable with said shaft to engage said contact member, and a helical spring mounted on said shaft to press one of said last two mentioned members against the other, said last two mentioned members having engaging parts to effect reverse movements of said contact member with a snap action under the force of said spring upon rotation of said shaft.

13. In an electric switch, the combination with cooperating contacts including a contact member to be reciprocated, of a rotatable shaft, a member slidably mounted on said shaft for reciprocably supporting said contact member, a helical spring carried by said shaft to bias said supporting member axially of said shaft in one direction and a member mounted on and rotatable with said shaft to be engaged by said contact member under the force of said spring, said last two mentioned members having ongaging parts to effect reverse movements of said contact member with a snap action under the force of said spring upon rotation of said shaft and in so doing to also effect movement of said contact member axially of said shaft.

14-. In an electric switch, the combination with cooperating contacts including a contact member to be reciprocated, a rotatable shaft, a member slidably mounted on said shaft to reciprocably support said contact member, a helical spring carried by said shaft to bias said supporting member axially of said shaft and a member detachably secured to said shaft to be engaged by said contact member and to retain the aforesaid members on said shaft, said contact memher and said member to be engaged thereby having engaging parts to effect reverse movements of said contact member with a snap action under the force of said spring upon rotation of said shaft.

15. In an electric switch, the combination with cooperating contacts including a contact member to be reciprocated, said contact member having adjacent oppositely inclined surfaces, of a rotatable shaft, a disk mounted thereon in an eccentric relation thereto, said disk having a face obliquely disposed to the axis of said shaft for engagement with the inclined faces of said contact member, a member slidably mounted on said shaft for reciprocably supporting said contact member and a helical spring mounted on said shaft to bias said supporting member axially of said-shaft to hold said contact member in engagement with said disk.

16. In an electric switch, the combination with cooperating contacts including a contact member to be reciprocated, said contact member having adjacent oppositely inclined surfaces, of a rotatable shaft, a disk mounted thereon in an eccentric relation thereto, said disk having a face obliquely disposed to the axis of said shaft for engagement with the inclined faces of said; contact anember, a member slidably mounted on. said shatt for reoiprocably supporting said contact memher and a helical; spring mounted: on said shaft to bias said supporting'member axially of said shaft to hold said contact member in engagement with said disk, said disk serving to; retain the aforesaid members on. said shaft and beingdetachably secured to said shaft. 10

In witness. whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

WILLIAM C. TREGONING. 

